Stockwinners Market Radar for March 07, 2019 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:50 EDT Yamana Gold, Goldcorp, Glencore to integrate Agua Rica and Alumbrera - Goldcorp (GG), Yamana Gold (AUY) and Glencore (GLNCY) are pleased to announce the signing of an integration agreement pursuant to which the Agua Rica project would be developed and operated using the existing infrastructure and facilities of Minera Alumbrera Limited in the Catamarca Province of Argentina. The parties believe the integration of the Agua Rica project and the Alumbrera mine has significant merit given the proximity of the assets, and the potential to realize significant synergies by taking full advantage of existing infrastructure associated with the Alumbrera mine for the development and operation of Agua Rica. Agua Rica hosts a large scale, long life copper mineral resource with associated gold, silver, and molybdenum while the Alumbrera infrastructure is of significant scale and configuration that is ideally suited for the integration plan. Preliminary studies show the potential for a mine life in excess of 25 years at average annual production of approximately 236,000 tonnes of copper-equivalent metal, including the contributions of gold, molybdenum, and silver, for the first 10 years of operation. This is based on the Agua Rica mineral reserve estimated to contain proven and probable mineral reserves of approximately 4.5M tonnes of copper and 6.5M ounces of gold contained in approximately 910M tonnes of ore.

19:18 EDT Lilis Energy sees Q1 oil production 3.4-3.6 MBOE/D - Sees FY19 oil production 4.2-4.6 MBOE/D.

18:51 EDT Fly Intel: After Hours Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: Cryoport (CYRX) up 16.5%... Energy Recovery (ERII) up 13.5%... The Joint Corp (JYNT) up 11.4%... Upland Software (UPLD) up 9.2%... Costco (COST) up 5.0%... ChromeDex (CDXC) up 2.3%. DOWN AFTER EARNINGS: Eventbrite (EB) down 24.1%... NV5 Global (NVEE) down 16.9%... National Beverage Corp (FIZZ) down 15.9%... T2 Biosystems (TTOO) down 15.6%... Insys Therapeutics (INSY) down 15.1%... Syndax Pharma (SNDX) down 13.2%... Okta (OKTA) down 7.0%... Nanostring (NSTG) down 7.0%... Camping World (CWH) down 6.4%... American Outdoor Brand (AOBC) down 6.3%... Chuy's (CHUY) down 3.5%... El Pollo Loco (LOCO) down 2.1%... Cytosorbents Corp (CTSO) down 2.0%... Acer Therapeutics (ACER) down 1.6%... Marvell Technology (MRVL) down 1.5%. ALSO LOWER: Alkaline Water Company (WTER) down 13.1% after equity offering. Movers as of 18:30ET.

18:26 EDT Barrick Gold CEO: The Newmont Mining deal is all about shareholder value - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Barrick Gold CEO Mark Bristow discussed the potential merger with Newmont Mining: We're engaged in a constructive manner... There is so much crossover, whatever we do will be good for everyone... There's been a lot of debate about the Nevada joint venture... The industry has to look at itself... It has not created value for shareholders and this deal will do that... The logic behind this deal is so sound and it delivers value for all shareholders... Something good is going to happen... Nothing is off the table... We're focused on value creation.

17:52 EDT Zayo Group issues statement in response to Starboard's letter - Zayo Group issued the following statement in response to a letter from Starboard Value: "The Zayo Board of Directors and management team welcome the views of all the company's shareholders and value constructive input toward the common goal of enhancing the creation of shareholder value. While the company does not comment on discussions with specific shareholders, it is important to note that members of the company's Board and management team are in active dialogue with many of our top investors in an effort to understand their views. On March 6, Zayo indefinitely postponed its Analyst Day, previously scheduled for March 14, to allow the Board and management team time to evaluate strategic alternatives that may enhance shareholder value. The Zayo Board comprises nine highly qualified directors, eight of whom are independent, and all of whom have been actively engaged in this effort, overseen by Lead Independent Director, Yancey Spruill. The Zayo Board and management team take their fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders seriously. This includes actively considering and evaluating opportunities to enhance shareholder value, including an assessment of the company's strategic priorities and opportunities, such as potential partnerships, business combinations and other transactions. We are objectively evaluating all options that will further this goal, while at the same time remaining focused on our mission to provide communications infrastructure to the world's most impactful companies."

17:33 EDT Gilead announces data supporting development of GS-6207 in HIV therapies - Gilead Sciences announced findings from two studies that support the further development of GS-6207, a novel, selective, first-in-class inhibitor of HIV-1 capsid function, for potential future use as part of long-acting HIV combination therapy. Interim blinded data from a Phase 1 study in healthy trial participants demonstrated that single doses of GS-6207 of up to 450 mg, administered subcutaneously, achieved sustained concentration levels and were well-tolerated. Separately, in vitro data demonstrated picomolar potency with GS-6207, including against HIV strains resistant to other antiretroviral classes. GS-6207 was evaluated in 40 healthy trial participants in an ongoing Phase 1 randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, safety, tolerability and PK study. The in vitro study evaluated the pharmacological profile of GS-6207 - which demonstrated up to greater than100-fold greater potency than certain commonly prescribed ARVs and synergistic antiviral activity when combined with the ARVs tenofovir alafenamide, efavirenz, dolutegravir or darunavir. The in vitro study also demonstrated that GS-6207 retains full potency against a broad range of HIV-1 strains resistant to other ARV classes.

17:28 EDT Tesla CEO says new software improves Supercharger times by up to 25% - Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the "latest software" improves Tesla Supercharger times by up to 25% for all Tesla Model S, X, and 3 vehicles worldwide, including the original 2012 Model S. "Not splitting power across 2 Supercharger stalls helps all cars up to 50%," Musk said. "Those improvements are independent of Supercharger V3 power increase from 135kW to 250+kW. All factors considered, charge time will drop by factor of 4 best case & more than 2 for whole Tesla fleet. Effectively, this more than doubles total WW Supercharger system throughput." Reference Link

17:17 EDT TTEC Holdings received FedRAMP ready status for Humanify Enterprise - G solution - TTEC Holdings announced it has achieved a FedRAMP Ready Status Moderate level for its Humanify Enterprise - G solution. FedRAMP, or Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, is a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. The company's Humanify Enterprise - G cloud-based solution was reviewed by 3rd Party Assessment Organization Schellman & Company, LLC, for consideration of the "FedRAMP Ready" designation, with evaluation of the Readiness Assessment Report conducted by the FedRAMP Program Management Office. FedRAMP has deemed TTEC's SaaS-based Humanify Enterprise - G solution FedRAMP Ready at the Moderate level and the company is now officially listed in the FedRAMP Marketplace as FedRAMP Ready. Additionally, because of TTEC's strong demand for secure cloud based products with existing and potential clients, TTEC was prioritized to work with the Joint Authorization Board toward a P-ATO via FedRAMP Connect. This FedRAMP Connect process included presentation to and vetting of FedRAMP's recommendations with the CIO Council, GSA's Office of General Counsel, and the JAB CIOs and Technical Representatives. The focus of this process is to choose the CSPs that offer services that will benefit the widest variety of Agencies across the Federal Government.

17:14 EDT Northrop Grumman awarded $322.5M Navy contract for EMD of AGM-88G - Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $322.5M cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to provide for the engineering and manufacturing development, or EMD, of the AGM-88G, advanced anti-radiation guided missile, extended range, or AARGM-ER. The EMD effort includes the design, integration and test of a new solid rocket motor for the AARGM-ER for use on the F/A-18E/F, EA-18G and F-35A/C aircraft platforms. Work will be performed in Northridge, California and Ridgecrest, California, and is expected to be completed in December 2023. FY19 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $55.09M will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:10 EDT Engaged Capital raises stake in Hain Celestial to 16.2% from 12.3%

17:01 EDT Navistar to partner with Love's Travel Stops - Navistar has signed a service partnership agreement with Love's Travel Stops, which adds more than 315 Love's Truck Tire Care and Speedco locations and more than 1,000 technicians to Navistar's International service network. The exclusive partnership, which will be fully operational in the second half of 2019, authorizes most Love's and Speedco service locations to handle a wide array of work covered by a Navistar-issued new-product warranty, as well as the company's extended warranties and used truck warranties. All applicable Love's and Speedco service locations will be authorized to perform warranty work with service repair times of three hours or less for all International(R) Class 6 through 8 trucks. The partnership between Navistar and Love's creates the commercial transportation industry's largest service network, bringing the International service network to more than 1,000 locations in North America, in many cases with more convenient locations and hours of service for our customers throughout the United States.

16:58 EDT Costco rises 4% or $8.71 to $225.50 per share after Q2 earnings beat, Feb comps

16:54 EDT Tesla VP of Engineering Michael Schwekutsch resigns - Tesla VP of Engineering, Michael Schwekutsch, tweeted that he has resigned. On his LinkedIn page, he sates: "After almost 3.5 years, yesterday I have decided to leave Tesla. I had an incredible time with a team that is by far the most talented that I ever worked with. Tesla's products are hands down the most efficient and exciting eVs in the world. And I've enjoyed working at a company with such a great passion, with such incredible customers and with a mission that is so "electrifying." All the best, Tesla! Now for me it is time to try something new. I did not decide yet what's next but I am eager to explore and find out."

16:52 EDT National Beverage down 16% to $57.14 after Q3 results miss estimates

16:42 EDT Shell Midstream chairman Curtis Frasier to resign, Paul Goodfellow to succeed - Shell Midstream announced that Paul Goodfellow has been named chairman of the board of Shell Midstream. Paul has served as a member of the board since the formation of the partnership in 2014 and will replace Curtis Frasier, who has offered his resignation from the board, effective April 1. At the same time, Brenda Stout, VP manufacturing support and excellence, has been appointed as a member of the board, assuming Paul's previously-held seat. Paul Goodfellow is currently the executive VP, Wells for Shell International, and will begin serving as executive VP of Deepwater, effective April 15.

16:38 EDT NCS Multistage Sequential sees growth in product revenues in each FY18 quarter

16:37 EDT Pzena Investment reports February AUM $37.6B - Reports February U.S. AUM $24.3B, non-U.S. AUM $13.3B.

16:32 EDT Ra Medical says study shows DABRA achieved 94% success rate - Ra Medical Systems announced study results from Athar Ansari, MD, Director of the California Heart & Vascular Clinic, who stated, "DABRA is fundamentally changing the way I practice medicine." Dr. Ansari's study demonstrated a 94% success rate treating peripheral artery disease by ablating arterial blockages. He presented his findings at this year's Joint Interventional Meeting in Milan, Italy. In Dr. Ansari's study, 292 lesions were treated in 200 patients at his outpatient office-based lab in El Centro, Calif., an area with high diabetes, peripheral artery disease, and amputation rates. "In my experience, DABRA delivers results rapidly and safely, even in challenging cases," said Dr. Ansari. "DABRA can treat all types of plaques in arteries above and below the knee. Patients are discharged in two to three hours, allowing them to quickly return to their daily lives. Most importantly, DABRA meets the need for safe, high-quality tools in smaller-scale settings, including office-based labs, allowing me to spare patients from hospital stays and reduce costs."

16:31 EDT PepsiCo elects Michelle Gass to Board of Directors - PepsiCo (PEP) announced that its Board of Directors has elected Michelle Gass as an independent member of the Board, effective March 6. Gass currently serves as CEO and a director of Kohl's (KSS).

16:30 EDT Eventbrite down 22% to $25.30 after Q1 revenue guidance misses estimates

16:26 EDT RTI Surgical shareholders approve Paradigm Spine acquisition - RTI Surgical announced its shareholders have voted to approve completion of the company's previously announced acquisition of Paradigm. RTI Surgical anticipates closing the acquisition on March 8.

16:22 EDT Costco reports Q2 e-commerce comparable sales up 20.2%, 25.5% as adjusted - Costco reports Q2 e-commerce comparable sales were up 20.2%, or 25.5% on an adjusted basis. February e-commerce comparable sales were up 24.2%, or 21.6% as adjusted.

16:21 EDT Geron sees FY19 operating expense burn to range $65M-$70M - The Company expects its operating expenses to increase as it assumes full responsibility for the development and potential commercialization of imetelstat. For fiscal year 2019, the Company expects its operating expense burn to range from $65 to $70 million, of which approximately $10 to $15 million represents one-time costs, such as imetelstat program transition activities from Janssen to Geron, including the transfer of the IND sponsorship, and purchase of raw materials and other supplies in preparation for new drug manufacturing. In addition to the one-time costs, projected 2019 operating expense guidance includes costs for the expansion of the internal development team, the global Phase 3 clinical trial in MDS and the opening of the New Jersey office. The Company plans to grow to a total of approximately 30 to 40 employees by year-end 2019, of which half will be research and development personnel.

16:20 EDT Okta will continue to make investments to capture 'immense opportunity' - Okta said in its earnings release, "We're pleased to close out a strong fourth quarter and fiscal year thanks to our relentless execution and focus on customer success, which is demonstrated by 53% subscription revenue growth and 50% growth in customers with over $100,000 annual recurring revenue in Q4. Large customers are increasingly turning to Okta as the identity standard for both their workforce and customers. The Okta Identity Cloud is uniquely positioned to both help organizations realize their digital transformation initiatives and adopt a Zero Trust security posture. We are seeing Okta's early platform investments paying off and we'll continue to make investments there and in the Okta Integration Network to capture the immense opportunity ahead." The company's cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $563.8M as of January 31, 2019.

16:19 EDT Trinity Industries raises quarterly dividend 31% to 17c per share - Trinity Industries said its board of directors also declared a 31% increase to the company's quarterly dividend to 17c per share on its 1c par value common stock from the current quarterly dividend of 13c per share. The quarterly cash dividend, representing Trinity's 220th consecutively paid dividend, is payable April 30, 2019 to stockholders of record on April 15, 2019.

16:18 EDT Tandem Diabetes approved as insulin pump vendor for ADP in Canada - Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. announced that it is now registered as an approved vendor of insulin pumps and supplies under the Assistive Devices Program in Ontario, Canada. The t:slim X2 insulin pump features Dexcom G5 Mobile continuous glucose monitoring integration, making it the only CGM-integrated insulin pump approved in Canada for making daily diabetes treatment decisions without fingersticks. "This registration is meaningful, as approximately 40 percent of people living with type 1 diabetes in Canada reside in Ontario and are now able to obtain reimbursement for the t:slim X2 insulin pump," said John Sheridan, president and CEO of Tandem Diabetes Care. "We've seen a high level of interest from people with diabetes in Canada, where insulin pump options have been limited in recent years. By reducing a financial barrier, this registration provides more people access to our exciting technology as a new option for insulin therapy management."

16:14 EDT FDA rescinds Trevena's Breakthrough Therapy designation for oliceridine - Trevena disclosed that based on its review of data from the company's Phase 3 studies of oliceridine, the FDA informed the company that under the conditions studied, these data were not sufficient to support the continuation of FDA's previously granted Breakthrough Therapy designation. The FDA in 2016 had granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to oliceridine for the management of moderate to severe acute pain. As announced in late January 2019, the company received the Type A meeting minutes from FDA addressing the items identified in FDA's complete response letter related to the oliceridine new drug application. In those minutes, FDA agreed that the company's current safety database will support labeling at a maximum daily dose of 27 mg and indicated that the Company can conduct a study in healthy volunteers to collect the additional QT interval data requested in the CRL, it said. Recently, Trevena submitted a protocol and analysis plan for this study to the FDA, and the company continues to anticipate that it will initiate this study in the first half of 2019, following the receipt of feedback from the FDA. The company does not expect the absence of Breakthrough Therapy designation to impact the timing of FDA's review of the oliceridine new drug application following resubmission. Shares of Trevena are down 23%, or 34c, to $1.15 in after-hours trading.

16:11 EDT Okta to acquire Azuqua, terms not disclosed - Okta announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Azuqua, a player in no-code, cloud-based business application integration and workflow automation. Together, Okta and Azuqua will provide organizations with a neutral, independent control center for automating the business processes and the flow of identities between applications and services for everyone in an organization- from employees to partners, and customers. The proposed acquisition is expected to close during Okta's fiscal first quarter, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions.

16:07 EDT AcelRx sees quarterly R&D expense throughout 2019 of $15M-$18M

16:06 EDT Align Technology announces iTero distribution agreement with Benco Dental - Align Technology announced a distribution agreement with Benco Dental for Align's family of iTero Element intraoral scanners. This agreement expands Benco's offerings to the general dentist community with iTero scanner's digital technology including visualization software with the Invisalign outcome simulator. The iTero Element scanner enables dentists and their patients to visualize changes in dentition, and enables dentists to perform restorative and orthodontic workflows that enhance patient care. The distribution agreement with Benco is a non-exclusive arrangement. Additional details of the agreement are confidential.

16:03 EDT FCC stops T-Mobile, Sprint merger review clock after receipt of new information - In a notice posted to its website, the FCC stated: "On February 21, 2019, and March 6, 2019, [T-Mobile US (TMUS) and Sprint (S)] filed significant additional information regarding their network integration plans for 2019-2021, an extension of their previously filed merger simulation analysis to cover the years 2019-2021, and additional information regarding their claims related to fixed wireless broadband services. These filings contain substantial new material and reach conclusions about the effects of the transaction that were not previously in the record...The Commission therefore is stopping the clock as of today, March 7, 2019, and is seeking comment on the Applicants' extension of their economic analysis and the additional information they filed. Comments should be limited to the Applicants' new submissions and not repeat arguments previously raised. Interested parties must file comments by no later than March 28, 2019." Reference Link

15:56 EDT Facebook working to tackle vaccine misinformation - Facebook VP of Global Policy Management Monicka Bickert said in a blog post that the company is working to tackle vaccine misinformation on Facebook by reducing its distribution and providing people with authoritative information on the topic. The company is taking a series of steps, including reducing the ranking of groups and Pages that spread misinformation about vaccinations in News Feed and Search; finding and rejecting ads that include misinformation about vaccination; not showing or recommending content that contains misinformation about vaccinations on Instagram Explore or hashtag pages; and exploring ways to share educational information about vaccines when people come across misinformation on this topic. Reference Link

15:24 EDT U.S. Steel wins DoE award to enhance high-strength steel manufacturing - United States Steel Corporation announced that it has accepted an award from the High-Performance Computing for Manufacturing Program Special Call: Steel and Aluminum, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, to expand the company's manufacturing capabilities for advanced high-strength steel. The goal of the winning project, drafted by researchers Evgueni Nikitenko and Susan Farjami at U. S. Steel's Research and Technology Center in Munhall, Pa., is to enhance the company's hot strip mill model used in creating AHSS. This type of steel is used by automakers to manufacture economically lightweight vehicles to meet increasing fuel efficiency requirements while maintaining exceptionally high safety standards. Lawrence Livermore National Lab, where the research will take place, will receive $300,000 to collaborate with U. S. Steel on the winning project. The project will take about one year to complete.

13:49 EDT Allegiant announces agreement in principle for dispatchers contract - Allegiant announces that the company and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, representing Allegiant dispatchers, have reached tentative agreement on all remaining open issues for the first collective bargaining agreement between the parties. The tentative agreement is subject to ratification by the Allegiant flight dispatchers, which is expected to occur by the end of April. Allegiant currently employs 34 flight dispatchers.

13:02 EDT LendingTree appoints Laura Yens as general counsel - LendingTree has announced the appointment of Laura Yens as the company's General Counsel, a role previously held by Kate Pierce who retired in August 2018. She most recently served as Counsel at Alston & Bird, where she advised senior management at global banks and FinTech companies.Yens will oversee and manage all legal functions at LendingTree.

12:47 EDT Etsy slides after announcing five-year financial targets - Shares of Etsy (ETSY) are under pressure after the creative goods marketplace discussed its long-term strategy and announced five-year financial targets. During its investor day, the company said it sees annual GMS growth of 16%-20% and revenue growth slightly higher. LONGER-TERM TARGETS: Etsy hosted an investor day on Thursday at its headquarters, featuring members of its leadership team reviewing its strategy and initiatives. At a meeting entitled, "Unlocking Opportunity: the Path to Owning Special," Etsy CEO Josh Silverman reviewed the company's plan to deliver sustained growth. Silverman stated, "In the long-term, we believe we can further our sustainable competitive advantage around four key elements of our business that make us different - which collectively is our 'Right to Win.' These include our collection of unique items, best-in-class search and discovery, human connections, and trusted brand. We have a large and growing addressable market across Etsy's retail categories within our six core geographic markets, and believe our growth can continue to outpace overall ecommerce." Etsy CFO Rachel Glaser added that, "We believe our product improvements and investments lay the foundation for sustained growth over the next five years. We expect annual GMS to continue to grow in the range of 16%-20%, and we currently anticipate that revenue will grow slightly faster than GMS. Etsy has been growing faster than the overall e-commerce market, and this outlook suggests we will continue to grow faster than the market. With a disciplined approach to investment and continued focus on optimization, we expect adjusted EBITDA margins to expand to 30% or higher over that time frame." PRICE ACTION: In afternoon trading, shares of Etsy have dropped almost 5% to $66.76.

12:42 EDT EA says EA PLAY returning in 2019 with no press conference - Electronic Arts said that 2019 will mark its fourth year of EA PLAY, an event where players can try out new games from the publisher that typically occurs around when E3 happens. This year you'll see less talk and more play, with an event entirely focused on the heartbeat of EA PLAY: our player communities and the games they love," the company said, noting that the event is free for all to attend. "It all starts this year on Friday night, June 7, 2019, with an all-new EA PLAY kickoff event," EA continued. "We're skipping the press conference this year and are replacing it with multiple live streams that will air during the first two days of the event, bringing you more of what you've told us you want - more gameplay and insights from the teams making the games." The company said it has moved the EA PLAY fanfest to Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 where players will get hands-on with EA's titles.

12:17 EDT Netflix CMO Bennett to step down from the company - Netflix announced that Chief Marketing Officer Kelly Bennett has decided to step down from the company after seven successful years in the role. Kelly joined Netflix in 2012 and will stay in his role for a transitional period until a new CMO is named. "Kelly Bennett has been absolutely transformational for us as we expanded our member base in the US and globally, and particularly as we transitioned into being a leader in original series and films," said Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO. "He has been a source of inspiration both inside Netflix and in presenting our brand to the world, and we are thankful for his enormous contributions."

12:00 EDT Titan International falls -20.0% - Titan International is down -20.0%, or -$1.25 to $4.96.

12:00 EDT Bridgepoint Education falls -32.1% - Bridgepoint Education is down -32.1%, or -$3.03 to $6.40.

12:00 EDT REV Group rises 10.6% - REV Group is up 10.6%, or 93c to $9.70.

11:48 EDT Barnes & Noble drops after cutting FY19 EBITDA guidance - Shares of Barnes & Noble (BKS) were sliding near noon after the book retailer reported results for its fiscal third quarter and notably lowered its EBITDA guidance for fiscal 2019. WHAT'S NEW: Before the market open on Thursday, Barnes & Noble reported Q3 adjusted earnings per share of $1.21 on revenue of $1.23B, compared with analysts' estimates for $1.10 and $1.24B, respectively. Comparable store sales rose 1.1% in the quarter, reflecting the company's "best quarterly performance in several years," it said. "In fiscal 2019, we have been focused on growing the top line, which contributed to our best holiday in years," said Len Riggio, chairman of Barnes & Noble. "Sales benefited from our new ad campaign, increased marketing and promotions, and an improved omni-channel experience for our customers. We believe these efforts are laying the foundation for sustained growth." However, the retailer lowered its FY19 EBITDA view to a range of $140M-$155M from its previous view of $175M-$200M, excluding unusual or non-recurring items. The company said the guidance includes the impact of incremental investments the company is making in its business, as well as lower than expected post-holiday sales. WHAT'S NOTABLE: Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal's Esther Fung reported that Amazon (AMZN) plans to shutter all 87 of its U.S. pop-up stores, with the closings expected by the end of next month. "After much review, we came to the decision to discontinue our pop-up kiosk program," an Amazon spokeswoman told the Journal, noting that the company plans to expand its bookstores as well as its so-called 4-star stores, which sell products rated four stars or higher by Amazon customers. PRICE ACTION: Near noon, Barnes & Noble shares are down 16.4% to $4.88.

11:38 EDT Meridian Bank announces 5% share repurchase plan - Meridian Corporation announced that its board of directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan pursuant to which Meridian may repurchase up to 5% of its outstanding common shares. Meridian reported 6.4 million shares outstanding at December 31, 2018. "The stock repurchase authorization highlights our confidence in Meridian's business and our outlook for continued growth," stated Christopher J Annas, Chairman, President and CEO. "We believe the stock repurchase program is a solid investment for our shareholders and provides us with the opportunity to leverage our strong financial position to improve our earnings per share."

10:57 EDT Appaloosa calls Allergan's business model 'broken' after drug study fails - Appaloosa issued a statement in response to Allergan's March 6 announcement that its drug, Rapastinel, failed a late stage study for treatment of major depressive disorder: "Yesterday's announcement that Allergan's marquee pipeline drug, Rapastinel, had spectacularly failed its Phase III trials should make apparent to all that the company's "Open Science" business model is broken. With this latest fiasco, we again call on the company to install an independent chairman with suitable experience to bring new leadership to the board and rein in management's predilection for value-destruction. We view this action as only one in a long list of difficult decisions the board will need to confront, which may include a change in senior management, separation of business units, merger or sale of the entire company. The board's misplaced fear of "disrupting" Allergan is wearing thin as an excuse for inaction and can only perpetuate further erosion in the shareholders' investment. In fact, disruptive action is entirely warranted under these circumstances."

10:34 EDT Copart acquires Vincent Auto Solutions, terms not disclosed - Copart announced the acquisition of Vincent Auto Solutions, or VAS, located in Greenville, Kentucky. "I'm extremely pleased with this acquisition. Not only do we expand our operational footprint in western Kentucky, but we also add to the Copart family a strong local management team with long-standing customer relationships," said Copart CEO, Jay Adair. "This acquisition is a part of our overall expansion initiative that furthers our ability to process the increasing volume we are handling in Kentucky and nationwide."

10:32 EDT ShockWave Medical indicated to open at $23, IPO priced at $17 - ShockWave Medical (SWAV) priced 5.7M shares at $17.00. The deal priced above the $14.00-$16.00 range and was upsized from 5.0M shares. Morgan Stanley and BofA/Merrill are acting as joint book running managers for the offering.

10:25 EDT Kroger says won't buy back stock until leverage ratio improves - Kroger said on its Q4 earnings conference call that it intends to use its free cash flow to bring the leverage ratio back to the 2.3-2.5x target range. It said it won't buy back stock until it gets to that range.

10:00 EDT GrafTech rises 11.8% - GrafTech is up 11.8%, or $1.37 to $12.98.

10:00 EDT Rosetta Stone rises 20.5% - Rosetta Stone is up 20.5%, or $3.20 to $18.80.

09:43 EDT Ollie's Bargain Outlet mentioned cautiously at Grant's Interest Rate Observer

09:25 EDT Civitas' stockholders approve merger with Centerbridge Capital affiliate - Civitas Solutions announced that its stockholders approved the proposed merger of Civitas and Celtic Tier II Corp. a wholly owned subsidiary of Celtic Intermediate Corp. and an affiliate of Centerbridge Capital Partners, L.P., pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 18, 2018, by and among the Company, Merger Sub and Parent. Subject to the terms of the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the merger, Merger Sub will merge with and into Civitas, with Civitas surviving the merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Final voting results for Civitas' special meeting of stockholders will be disclosed in a Form 8-K to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The merger is expected to close on March 8, 2019, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

09:21 EDT SQN to support newly refreshed Yelp board at 2019 annual meeting - SQN Investor, the beneficial owner of more than 4% of the outstanding common stock of Yelp, issued a public letter to the Yelp Board of Directors, which read in part: "Additionally, consistent with our recommendations, Yelp committed to achieving a mid-teens revenue CAGR from 2019 to 2023 and achieving 30% to 35% EBITDA margins by 2023. While this is consistent with our growth and profitability targets, in contrast to what we did in our presentation, Yelp revealed few details on how it plans to achieve these targets. Particularly in light of Yelp's weak 2019 guidance, the new Board will need to hold Management accountable to a level of execution that has previously eluded the Company. Specifically: Achieving a mid-teens revenue CAGR from 2019 to 2023: This implies adding roughly $1B in revenue or essentially doubling the size of Yelp by 2023. For Q1 2019, Yelp only guided to 4% to 6% growth, down from the 12% growth delivered in Q4 2018 and 18% for 2018. Yelp guided to accelerating revenue growth as 2019 progresses with the hopes of achieving 8% to 10% revenue growth for the year, down from the previous guidance of "double-digit growth" for 2019 mentioned on the Q3 2018 earnings call. Yelp's updated guidance implies further reacceleration in 2020-2023 to achieve the stated mid-teens revenue CAGR for this period. We hope the refreshed Board will engage in depth with Management to evaluate the specific initiatives that will ensure the delivery of these committed targets... Increasing EBITDA margin from 19% in 2018 to at least 30% in 2023: Should Yelp's stated growth targets materialize, and Yelp maintain its commitment to the various cost reduction initiatives announced, this target should be achievable. However, should growth fail to quickly and meaningfully reaccelerate as Management has guided, much greater cost reductions will be required to meet the stated EBITDA targets.We believe that a Board that holds Management accountable should be able to deliver on these targets given the potential of the business...Evaluate Talent: The Board should evaluate the Executive Leadership and their direct reports on their demonstrated successes in their time at Yelp and whether they have the skills required to deliver on Yelp's stated five-year goals....Align Compensation to Performance...As longstanding shareholders of Yelp, we sincerely hope that Yelp's recent announcements represent a true commitment to change as opposed to merely defensive maneuvers and hollow promises designed to deflect shareholder pressure. We are not typically activist investors, but in this situation, we believe our public actions have yielded positive results. Considering the numerous changes made or announced by the Company, and the stated financial targets for 2019 and 2023, we are prepared to support the newly refreshed Board and refrain from nominating director candidates for election at the 2019 Annual Meeting."

09:16 EDT ADP names Kathleen Winters as CFO, effective April 15 - ADP (ADP) announced the appointment of Kathleen Winters as CFO. Winters will join ADP on April 15, at which time Jan Siegmund will step down as CFO. She will report directly to Carlos Rodriguez, ADP's CEO, and lead the global finance organization. Winters joins ADP from MSCI (MSCI) where she has been CFO since May 2016.

09:12 EDT SQN urges Yelp board of directors to name new chair - SQN Investors, the beneficial owner of more than 4% of the outstanding common stock of Yelp, issued a public letter to the Yelp Board of Directors, which read in part: "We are pleased that the announcements Yelp made on its earnings call on February 13, 2019, along with the other materials released on that date, appear to indicate that the Company is in the process of implementing many of the recommendations that we made... Refresh the Board: Following our repeated calls to refresh the Board, the Board has added three new independent directors: Ms. Sharon Rothstein, Mr. George Hu, and Mr. Brian Sharples. Each of these individuals appear to have the strong operating experience that Yelp needs on its Board at this stage in its growth. However, it is important that they not get trapped in the same cycle of dysfunction that has historically encumbered the Board. To that end, we encourage the Board to name as Chairperson one of the newly appointed directors so that the fresh perspectives of these new Board members are not blunted by the same inertia that has historically resulted in abysmal performance. Manage Transition to Transactions Marketplace: As suggested in our January 2019 presentation, we note the Company's Q4 2018 Shareholder Letter highlights a renewed focus on generating transaction revenue from the Restaurants and Home & Local segments. While food order growth of 27% compared to Q4 2017 and Request a Quote volume growth of 41% compared to Q4 2017 are encouraging metrics, they are off a low revenue base. We hope that the renewed focus on generating transactions from these markets also results in the acceleration of transaction revenue growth that will be required to make them material contributors to Yelp's revenue...Monetize Through Partners: We continue to believe that "Effective Partnerships," such as the ones noted in your February 2019 Yelp Investor Presentation, apparently in response to our recommendation, are critical for the Company's future success. While Yelp has announced several partnerships over the years, few are meaningful. We believe that without deep partnerships that generate material incremental revenue from transactions, Yelp will not be able to monetize its traffic to its full potential. We hope that the refreshed Board will take a new look at the potential partnership with ANGI Homeservices that we outlined in our presentation...Improve Sales Efficiency: Yelp is embracing our recommendation to improve sales productivity and shift emphasis to its most efficient sales channels. In our presentation, we illustrated how Yelp's sales productivity is significantly behind peer benchmarks and how Yelp should invest in its fastest growing verticals: Home & Local and National Accounts...Align Spend with Growth Potential: The reduction in marketing spend by $15M is a small first step that acknowledges our recommendation to enhance profitability. To achieve Yelp's commitment of achieving at least 30% EBITDA margins by 2023, more of such initiatives will be required. Move Headcount to Lower Cost Cities: The move to relocate sales out of San Francisco and the associated annual savings of $10 million is a positive step toward lowering the Company's overall costs. If Yelp implements this approach across all functions, as we recommended, we estimate the Company can save $58 million annually exiting 2020...Buyback $500M of Stock: Yelp has now announced a total of $500M of buybacks since we first initiated our dialogue with the Board and $250M of buybacks since we made our recommendations public. We hope that by 2020, as outlined in our presentation, Yelp will achieve our recommended target of $500M of incremental buybacks, or $750M including the $250M buyback announced in November 2018. Eliminate Key Product Gaps: As we recommended, several key product-related announcements were mentioned in Yelp's Q4 2018 Letter to Shareholders. We hope to see these announcements translate into product releases over the course of 2019...Additionally, consistent with our recommendations, Yelp committed to achieving a mid-teens revenue CAGR from 2019 to 2023 and achieving 30% to 35% EBITDA margins by 2023. While this is consistent with our growth and profitability targets, in contrast to what we did in our presentation, Yelp revealed few details on how it plans to achieve these targets. Particularly in light of Yelp's weak 2019 guidance, the new Board will need to hold Management accountable to a level of execution that has previously eluded the Company. Specifically: Achieving a mid-teens revenue CAGR from 2019 to 2023: This implies adding roughly $1B in revenue or essentially doubling the size of Yelp by 2023. For Q1 2019, Yelp only guided to 4% to 6% growth, down from the 12% growth delivered in Q4 2018 and 18% for 2018. Yelp guided to accelerating revenue growth as 2019 progresses with the hopes of achieving 8% to 10% revenue growth for the year, down from the previous guidance of "double-digit growth" for 2019 mentioned on the Q3 2018 earnings call. Yelp's updated guidance implies further reacceleration in 2020-2023 to achieve the stated mid-teens revenue CAGR for this period. We hope the refreshed Board will engage in depth with Management to evaluate the specific initiatives that will ensure the delivery of these committed targets. We look forward to Yelp making more of the details public under the stewardship of the new Board. Increasing EBITDA margin from 19% in 2018 to at least 30% in 2023: Should Yelp's stated growth targets materialize, and Yelp maintain its commitment to the various cost reduction initiatives announced, this target should be achievable. However, should growth fail to quickly and meaningfully reaccelerate as Management has guided, much greater cost reductions will be required to meet the stated EBITDA targets.We believe that a Board that holds Management accountable should be able to deliver on these targets given the potential of the business. To that end, we hope that the new Board will pay particular attention to our remaining recommendations that first necessitated refreshing the Board: Evaluate Talent: The Board should evaluate the Executive Leadership and their direct reports on their demonstrated successes in their time at Yelp and whether they have the skills required to deliver on Yelp's stated five-year goals....Align Compensation to Performance: Management compensation must break from handouts of stock - that executives often turn around and sell - and be based to a higher degree on metrics that are aligned with delivering successful outcomes by functional area. As longstanding shareholders of Yelp, we sincerely hope that Yelp's recent announcements represent a true commitment to change as opposed to merely defensive maneuvers and hollow promises designed to deflect shareholder pressure. We are not typically activist investors, but in this situation, we believe our public actions have yielded positive results. Considering the numerous changes made or announced by the Company, and the stated financial targets for 2019 and 2023, we are prepared to support the newly refreshed Board and refrain from nominating director candidates for election at the 2019 Annual Meeting."

09:08 EDT MGM Growth, MGM Resorts amend terms of Northfield Park transaction - MGP (MGP) and MGM Resorts (MGM) announced that they have agreed to amend the consideration for MGM Resorts' acquisition of all of the operating assets of the Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park from MGP. The consideration will be amended to provide for the redemption of approximately $275M of MGP operating partnership units, instead of $275M of cash as originally contemplated by the parties. This amendment was approved by the Conflicts Committee of MGP's Board of Directors. The transaction is expected to close in April and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

09:05 EDT Cerner announces collaboration with ECHA in Alabama - Cerner has expanded further into the Alabama rural health care market through a new collaboration with the Escambia County Healthcare Authority, or ECHA. ECHA's two hospitals, D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton and Atmore Community Hospital in Atmore, and combined four clinics will soon switch to the Cerner Millennium electronic health record, or EHR, platform across all venues of care. This will be the first time ECHA's hospitals and clinics will operate under a unified EHR with a digital record of a patient's health history that includes clinical and financial information. ECHA will use Cerner CommunityWorks, a cloud-based delivery model designed to support the needs of community, critical access and specialty hospitals. ECHA has also invested in Cerner's revenue cycle management services, designed to optimize claims and billing processes. Each health system and its clinics will soon integrate Cerner's registration, scheduling, patient accounting, practice management solutions and transaction services into the EHR.

09:03 EDT SEI Investments expands asset management relationship with BMO Financial - SEI announced the expansion of its existing asset management relationship with BMO Financial Group into the Asian market. To enable distribution to accredited Asian investors, SEI has registered 25 of its Dublin UCITS funds in Singapore. Last month, BMO launched a new solution comprised of four risk-profiled Global Strategic Portfolios managed by SEI. SEI's new strategic partnership with BMO Private Bank Asia builds upon an existing 21-year asset management relationship with Bank of Montreal Nesbitt Burns in Canada.

09:01 EDT Yext plans to hire over 200 employees in Germany over five years - Yext is expanding its global business, with plans to hire over 200 employees in Germany over the next five years. Yext is continuing to invest in its office in Berlin, headquarters of Yext's operations in Central Europe. Major German brands currently working with Yext include DM, BMW, Sixt, Barmenia, DEVK, and Fitness First.

08:47 EDT Foamix announces FDA acceptance of FMX101 - Foamix announced that the FDA has accepted for review the new drug application, or NDA, for FMX101. Foamix is seeking approval of FMX101 for the treatment of inflammatory lesions of non-nodular moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris in patients nine years of age and older. The FDA has set October 20 as the Prescription Drug User Fee Act action date.

08:43 EDT Roche submits sNDA to FDA for Venclexta with Gazyva - Roche announced the submission of a supplemental new drug application, or sNDA, to the U.S. FDA for Venclexta in combination with Gazyva in people with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, or CLL, and co-existing medical conditions. The FDA is reviewing the application under the real-time oncology review pilot program, which aims to explore a more efficient review process to ensure safe and effective treatments are available to patients as early as possible. The combination was granted breakthrough therapy designation.

08:36 EDT Tyme Technologies announced addition of TYME-18 to pipeline - Tyme Technologies announced the addition of a new pre-clinical development candidate, TYME-18, to the company's pipeline of medical innovation. TYME-18 is an investigational cancer metabolism-based therapy, or CMBT, designed for intra-tumoral injection to increase the permeability of cancer cells. The direct delivery of TYME-18 to the tumor target, in contrast to conventional systemic therapies, aims to localize the effect of the agent to the tumor, while limiting systemic effects and minimizing damage to healthy tissues. TYME-18, like SM-88, was designed to target a physiological result of the Warburg Effect, the acidic tumor microenvironment, and has demonstrated potent responses with a well-tolerated safety profile within a pre-clinical cancer model. TYME believes its growing pipeline of investigational CMBTs represents a promising new class of disease-altering therapies that provide an approach to treating a variety of cancers. The precise mechanism of action of CMBTs in the treatment of cancers is still being defined and may differ among types of cancers depending on their underlying pathobiologies. CMBTs have similar intra-tumoral effects involving an increase in oxidative stress and the disruption of protein synthesis, which disarms cancer cells by compromising their protective mucin layer. However, individual CMBTs may demonstrate a unique potency profile that potentially indicates selective applicability for distinct diseases and conditions. In initial preclinical xenograft mouse studies, TYME-18 was able to completely resolve over 90% of established colorectal tumors within 12 days versus an average of over 600% growth in the control animals. Additionally, there was no detected necrosis of the normal tissue surrounding the tumor site or other identified toxicities in the animals treated with TYME-18. TYME plans to continue with the development of TYME-18 in solid tumors and to provide details of an IND-enabling program in the second half of 2019.

08:33 EDT Alkaline Water announces partnership with Ungerer - Alkaline Water announced that it will be working with the international flavor house Ungerer on all products being developed by its A88 Infused Beverage division. The company intends to comply in full with all federal, state, and local laws, rules and regulations as the company develops its hemp extract alkaline water and other product lines. The company will not pursue the production or sale of hemp extract-infused products until legally permitted.

08:31 EDT Seelos Therapeutics acquires exclusive license to UCLA intellectual property - Seelos Therapeutics announced that it has acquired an exclusive license to intellectual property owned by The Regents of the University of California pertaining to a technology that was created by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, or UCLA. Such technology relates to a family of rationally-designed peptide inhibitors that target the aggregation of alpha-synuclein. Seelos plans to study this initial approach in Parkinson's disease, or PD, and will further evaluate the potential clinical approach in other disorders affecting the central nervous system. This new program will be known as SLS-007. Pre-clinical data provide supportive evidence to slow progression, an early sign of disease-modifying potential in PD. SLS-007 is a peptide-based approach, targeting the NACore. Recent in-vitro and cell culture research have shown the ability to stop the propagation and seeding of a-synuclein aggregates against increased monomeric alpha-synuclein expression, fibril preparations of seeded alpha-synuclein, and alpha-synuclein seeds derived from patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease or Lewy Body Dementia. Seelos will evaluate the potential for in-vivo delivery of SLS-007 in a PD transgenic mice model. The goal will be to establish in-vivo PK/PD and target engagement parameters of SLS-007, a family of anti-alpha-synuclein peptidic inhibitors.

08:22 EDT Vystar Corp says FirstFire invests $200,000 at 15c/share - Vystar Corporation announced that FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, an institutional investor who previously provided funding to Vystar, has invested $200,000 in Vystar at 15c per restricted common share, a 250% premium to yesterday's market close. The stock purchase has no rights for conversion or warrants associated with it. FirstFire is permitted to participate in any of the company's upcoming investment rounds in an amount up to $200,000 on the same terms Vystar offers to other investors for the next nine months.

08:13 EDT U.S. Physical Therapy raises quarterly dividend 17.4% to 27c per share - The Company is increasing its dividend by 17.4%. The first quarterly dividend for 2019 of 27c per share will be paid on April 19, 2019 to shareholders of record as of March 20, 2019. U.S. Physical Therapy began paying quarterly dividends in 2011 and has increased the dividend amount every year since.

08:10 EDT Global Partners sees FY19 EBITDA $200M-$225M

08:09 EDT SoftBank launches $5B technology growth fund for Latin America - SoftBank Group (SFTBF) announced the launch of the SoftBank Innovation Fund, "the largest-ever technology fund focused exclusively on the fast-growing Latin American market, and the creation of the SoftBank Latin America Local Hub, a new operating group that will partner with SoftBank portfolio companies helping them enter Latin America, navigate the local markets and broaden their geographic reach in the region." Marcelo Claure will serve as CEO of SoftBank Latin America, responsible for overseeing the new fund, its investments and operations. Claure will also continue to serve in his current roles as COO of SoftBank Group Corp., Chief Executive Officer of SoftBank Group International and Executive Chairman of Sprint Corporation (S). SBG has committed an initial $2B to the SoftBank Innovation Fund and will serve as the General Partner. No decision has been made as to the location of the SoftBank Innovation Fund's headquarters.

08:06 EDT BlackLine promotes Patrick Villanova to Chief Accounting Officer - BlackLine has promoted Patrick Villanova to Chief Accounting Officer. Villanova joined BlackLine in 2015 as corporate controller and serves as the company's principal accounting officer. In 2016, he led BlackLine's global accounting function through a successful initial public offering.

08:05 EDT Microsoft and EDP Renewables execute wind energy agreement in Ohio - Microsoft and EDP Renewables, through its fully owned subsidiary EDP Renewables North America, have executed two 15-year power purchase agreements totaling 125 MW that will bring the Timber Road IV Wind Farm to Ohio's Paulding County. The 125 MW Timber Road IV Wind Farm is expected to be operational in 2019 and will produce enough clean electricity to annually power more than 36,000 average Ohio homes. These agreements with EDPR bring Microsoft's directly purchased renewable energy portfolio to nearly 1.4 GW. Timber Road IV Wind Farm is Microsoft's fifth project in the larger PJM region.

08:03 EDT PriceSmart reports February sales flat y-o-y - PriceSmart reported February 2019 net merchandise sales of $228.8M versus $228.9M in February a year earlier. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted net merchandise sales negatively by $8.8M or 3.8% versus the same prior year one-month period. For the six months ended February 28, 2019, net merchandise sales increased 0.4% to $1,567.6M from $1,562.0M in the same period last year. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted net merchandise sales negatively by $49.2M or 3.1% versus the same prior year six-month period. There were 41 warehouse clubs in operation at February 28, 2019 compared to 40 warehouse clubs in operation at February 28, 2018. For the five weeks ended March 3, 2019, comparable warehouse sales for the 40 warehouse clubs open at least 13 1/2 full months decreased 1.9% compared to the same five-week period last year. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted comparable net merchandise sales negatively by $11.0M or 3.8% versus the same prior year period.

07:53 EDT Kroger down 7.7% to $26.25 after Q4 results, FY19 guidance trail estimates

07:50 EDT Kroger sees FY19 identical sales growth, excluding fuel, 2.0%-2.25%

07:48 EDT Kroger reports Q4 identical sales without fuel 1.9%

07:47 EDT Jacobs Engineering selected for water management consultancy in India - Jacobs has been engaged by Singapore Cooperation Enterprise to deliver engineering consultancy services focused on building sustainable urban water management, recycle and re-use capabilities in India. As part of the Urban Management Program on Water Recycling and Reuse Phase 2 in India, in collaboration with NITI Aayog, Jacobs will deliver a series of workshops targeting policy leaders and specialists across eight Indian states and union territories. Jacobs will also deliver studies and designs which will examine the feasibility of the program.

07:36 EDT FTI Consulting announces Brendan Keating as CAO - FTI Consulting announced that Brendan Keating, who has served as the company's VP and assistant controller since September 2011, is being promoted to CAO and controller, effective March 18. Keating will lead the company's accounting operations, financial reporting, control processes and financial systems globally and will report to CFO Ajay Sabherwal. Keating has over 30 years of experience in the finance and accounting fields, including SEC reporting, accounting policy, corporate accounting, consolidation, internal controls and compliance.

07:30 EDT GTx trading resumes

07:16 EDT Entera Bio CFO Mira Rosenzweig to leave company in April - Entera Bio announced that Mira Rosenzweig, CFO, will be leaving the company in mid-April on amicable terms to pursue other professional opportunities closer to her home. Rosenzweig has confirmed that she has no disagreement with the presentation of the company's financial statements or accounting policies. Rosenzweig has served as CFO of Entera since May 2014 and will continue to serve as CFO, including through the filing of the company's FY18 financial results. The company has initiated a search process to appoint a new CFO and, following the departure of Rosenzweig in mid-April, will retain an outsourced CFO company until one is found.

07:10 EDT LifeMap Sciences enters strategic collaboration with iCarbonX Research Shenzhen - LifeMap Sciences, a subsidiary of AgeX Therapeutics, announced that it has entered into a collaboration with iCarbonX Research Shenzhen, enabling iCarbonX to leverage LifeMap's GeneCards Suite platform in product prototype design and scientific research. LifeMap Sciences is a leading biomedical knowledgebase company that commercializes the popular GeneCards Suite, including GeneCards, the Human Gene Compendium, MalaCards, the Human Disease Database, as well as sophisticated analytic tools based on the comprehensive suite. LifeMap's user base includes more than four million researchers world-wide and its customers include top-tier pharma and biotech customers. The GeneCards Suite has been developed in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

07:07 EDT Plug Power sees FY19 gross billings $235M-$245M

07:04 EDT Fifth Third receives regulatory approvals for merger with MB Financial - Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) and MB Financial, Inc. (MBFI) jointly announced that Fifth Third Bancorp has received all necessary regulatory approvals for completion of the transactions contemplated in the companies' merger agreement dated May 20, 2018. The merger received the necessary approvals from MB Financial common stockholders in September 2018. Subject to the completion of the remaining customary closing conditions, it is anticipated that the closing of the transaction will take place on March 22, 2019. Primary systems conversion is expected to occur in early May 2019, and MB Financial Bank customers will receive notifications relating to the conversion and the merger of the two banks.

07:02 EDT Cato Corp. reports February SSS down 10% - Cato Corporation reported sales for the four weeks ended March 2, 2019 of $59.1M, a 12% decrease over sales of $67.2M for the four week period ended March 3, 2018. SSS for the month decreased 10% from the prior year. During February, the company closed three stores. As of March 2, the company operated 1,308 stores in 31 states, compared to 1,351 stores in 33 states as of March 3, 2018.

07:00 EDT GTx trading halted, news dissemination

06:51 EDT Burlington Stores reports Q4 merchandise inventories $954M vs. $753M last year - Merchandise inventories were $954M vs. $753M last year. The increase was driven by higher pack and hold inventory, which was 30% of total inventory at the end of the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2018 compared to 25% last year, as well as higher levels of short stay inventory due to acceleration of tariff impacted receipts. In addition, inventory levels also increased due to the addition of 46 net new stores opened during Fiscal 2018, as well as a 1.8% increase in comparable store inventory, which was attributable to below plan sales. Comparable store inventory turnover improved 2.5% for the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2018.

06:50 EDT Eli Lilly announces 4.5121 exchange ratio for Elanco exchange offer - Eli Lilly (LLY) announced the final exchange ratio for its previously-announced offer for shareholders to exchange their shares of Lilly common stock for shares of Elanco (ELAN) owned by Lilly. For each share of Lilly common stock that is validly tendered and not validly withdrawn by shareholders and that is accepted pursuant to the exchange offer, Lilly will deliver 4.5121 shares of Elanco common stock to or at the direction of any such tendering shareholder. Because the exchange offer will be subject to proration if it is oversubscribed, the number of shares of Lilly common stock that Lilly accepts in the exchange offer may be less than the number of shares tendered. Based on the final exchange ratio, Lilly would accept for exchange approximately 65,000,776 shares of its common stock upon consummation of a fully subscribed exchange offer. The exchange offer is currently scheduled to expire at the end of the day on March 8, unless the exchange offer is extended or terminated.

06:46 EDT Burlington Stores reports Q4 SSS up 1.3% on shifted basis - Q4 comparable store sales increased 1.3% on a shifted basis, on top of last year's 5.9% comparable store sales increase and a 4.6% increase during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2016.

06:40 EDT Ultra Petroleum sees 2019 production 240-250 Bcfe - Ultra's 2019 annual production is expected to range between 240-250 Bcfe. In Q1, the average daily production rate is expected to range between 675-695 MMcfe/d. For 2019, the capital investment program is expected to be approximately $320M-$350M. Drilling, completion and equipment capital for its operated program is estimated at $275M-$295; and participation in wells operated by others is estimated at approximately $27M-$33M. Expects to fund these capital expenditures primarily through cash flows from operations and cash on hand, as well as availability under its Revolving Credit Facility.

06:37 EDT Obsidian Energy CEO to step down, Michael Faust appointed Interim CEO - Obsidian Energy announced the appointment of Michael Faust as interim President and CEO, effective March 18, for a period of twelve months with an optional six-month extension. Faust will succeed current President and CEO, David French, who will step down from the company effective March 29, 2019. French will not stand for reelection as a director at the company's Annual General Meeting. Faust has been a member of Obsidian's board since April 6, 2018. The company also announced that it is bringing Development and Operations together under one department lead, Aaron Smith, to further streamline decision-making and enhance efficiencies. Smith will assume the position of Senior Vice President of Development and Operations. Smith joined the company in July 2018 and brings over 20 years of engineering expertise across a broad range of technical and leadership roles.

06:33 EDT Northern Oil and Gas announces a 79% increase in 2018 proved reserves - Total proved reserves increased 79% to 135.5M barrels of oil equivalent, 83% crude oil, with an associated PV-10 of $2.18B. Total proved reserves increased 38% before giving credit for the acquisitions announced and closed in 2018. Proved developed reserves increased 64% to 76.2 MMBoe, with an associated PV-10 of $1.52B. Proved undeveloped reserves included 97.9 net drilling locations, reflecting an average of less than 20 net organic wells per year over the five year drill schedule limitation, compared to the approximately 31 net organic wells that Northern added to production during 2018.

06:17 EDT Google rolling out AI appointment booking assistant to 43 states - Google will roll out its AI appointment booking assistant, Duplex, to 43 states in the U.S. today for Pixel 3 owners, the company said in a blog post. Scott Huffman, VP, Engineering, Google Assistant, said: "From Phoenix to Atlanta, it's been great to see many of you using our new Google Assistant feature built on Duplex technology to quickly book restaurant reservations over the phone. Thanks to your feedback, we're beginning to make this feature available to more people across the United States. Now, you can use it on all Pixel phones in 43 U.S. states. All it takes is a few seconds to tell your Assistant where you'd like to go. Just ask the Assistant on your phone, 'Book a table for four people at tomorrow night.' The Assistant will then call the restaurant to see if it can accommodate your request. Once your reservation is successfully made, you'll receive a notification on your phone, an email update and a calendar invite so you don't forget." Reference Link

06:10 EDT Despegar.com: Jason Lenga resigns as board Chairman, Nilesh Lakhani to succeed - Despegar.com announced that Jason Lenga tendered his resignation as Board Chairman to the company's Board Directors effective March 6. Lenga's resignation, a Tiger Global appointee, is reflective of the fund's significant reduction in its holdings of Despegar. Simultaneously, Nilesh Lakhani, a current Director and Member of the Audit Committee has been appointed Board Chairman of the company. With Lenga's resignation, the Board is now comprised of 6 members.

06:06 EDT Accenture sees 2019 net cash usage $80M

06:05 EDT Baker Hughes reports February international rig count 1,027, up 3 rigs from Jan. - Baker Hughes announced that the Baker Hughes international rig count for February 2019 was 1,027, up 3 from the 1,024 counted in January 2019, and up 48 from the 979 counted in February 2018. The international offshore rig count for February 2019 was 250, up 8 from the 242 counted in January 2019, and up 56 from the 194 counted in February 2018. The average U.S. rig count for February 2019 was 1,049, down 16 from the 1,065 counted in January 2019, and up 80 from the 969 counted in February 2018. The average Canadian rig count for February 2019 was 230, up 54 from the 176 counted in January 2019, and down 93 from the 323 counted in February 2018. The worldwide rig count for February 2019 was 2,306, up 41 from the 2,265 counted in January 2019, and up 135 from the 2,171 counted in February 2018.

06:02 EDT Cognizant launches $600M accelerated share repurchase - Cognizant Technology announced that it has entered into accelerated share repurchase, or ASR, agreements with HSBC Bank USA, National Association and Societe Generale to repurchase an aggregate of $600 million of Cognizant's Class A common stock. The ASR announced today is part of the company's previously announced capital return plan to utilize approximately 50% of its global free cash flow on an annual basis for share repurchases and dividends.Under the terms of the ASR agreements, approximately 7.1 million of the shares to be repurchased will be received by Cognizant on March 7, 2019. The final number of shares to be repurchased will be based on the volume-weighted average stock price of Cognizant's Class A common stock less a discount and subject to potential adjustments pursuant to the terms of the ASR agreements. Cognizant will fund the ASR program on March 7, 2019 from cash on hand.

05:38 EDT Athenex regains rights to KX2-391 in China - Athenex announced that upon Athenex's request, Athenex and Chongqing Jingdong Junzhuo Pharmaceutical have mutually agreed to terminate the licensing and partnership agreement entered into on December 30, 2018. Pursuant to the original agreement, Athenex, via Chongqing Taihao Pharmaceutical, granted to Chongqing Jingdong Pharmaceutical the rights to exclusively commercialize KX2-391 for the treatment of actinic keratosis and oncology indications in humans in mainland China. Under the terms of the termination agreement, Athenex has regained the rights to commercialize KX2-391 in mainland China. The decision of both parties to terminate the licensing and partnership agreement has no connection with the progress or the results of any of the clinical studies of the KX2-391 program.

05:30 EDT Philips to acquire healthcare IT systems from Carestream Health - Carestream Health has signed an agreement with Royal Philips to sell its healthcare information systems business to Philips. Carestream's HCIS business unit provides imaging IT solutions to multi-site hospitals, radiology services providers, imaging centers and specialty medical clinics around the world. The business has developed strong customer relationships in attractive, high-growth healthcare segments and is positioned for continued growth and success. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

05:26 EDT Berry Petroleum sees FY19 production 28,000-31,000 Boe/d, approximate 86% oil